Piercing Word, Warriors of the Word: a Ministry and Book Review
The best kept secret of Lancaster, Pennsylvania is not the National Watch and Clock Museum nearby— although visiting the museum certainly sounds like a fun time. It is the beautiful and unique ministry of Piercing Word that is headquartered there.
This ministry glorifies God and edifies His Church by declaring His Word—uniquely. The mission of Piercing Word is “to ignite a passion for the Word of God in the heart of the Church.” Piercing Word is not a recitation ministry or a theater performance ministry, but something in between. “The Word of God is our script,” as Aaron House, the director of Piercing Word would say. Every line in every production that the ministry performs is recited, word for word, from the ESV translation.
These familiar lines may sound different than we have heard them before, but this difference is for a special purpose. Aaron and Emily House and all the members of their team are passionate for Scripture engagement, a term that encourages Christians to creatively experience their Bible rather than remain passive and impersonal with the text. The team has performed many passages of the Bible not only dramatically, but in especially creative ways. For example, they have a musical adaptation of the Sermon on the Mount and an “African-inspired telling of the stories Jesus told” sharing the parables of our Lord in a new way. Each their performances with all their unique angles are still written with word for word Scripture because, after all, what do we need more than the Scripture itself?
One of the most exciting developments in recent Piercing Word history is that they’ve started selling their Scripture performance scripts on their website. What a tremendous opportunity for lay persons with a love for theater to bless their church! This could also be a wonderful resource for the teams who enjoy dramatizing their recitations together for ScriptureFests (haven’t heard of ScriptureFests? Learn about them HERE).
Aaron, Emily, and all the performers of Piercing Word must memorize large amounts of Scripture to participate in their productions. This difficult task is not an arduous one for them, however. Scripture memory is a source of joy and victory, especially for Aaron and Emily House. Their passion for God’s Word is what makes their productions so moving, and it’s also what led them to start a second ministry to bring this same passion for Scripture memory to others.
This second ministry is named “Warriors of the Word” and through it they intend to equip all their readers, listeners, and students for the battles they face in this life. Aaron and Emily recognize the greatest benefit they have experienced from memorizing Scripture has been deeply personal, and they want that benefit to be available to all their brothers and sisters in Christ. “… the climax of my Bible memorization journey has come in the dirty realities of life when my boots hit the ground,” says Aaron in the book, “Warriors of the Word” (House, 2021). Not only do the Houses travel to teach in-person workshops on Scripture memory, but they also designed a book and online video course to help Christians get memorizing and do it well. The key, as Aaron explains it, is to engage with the text creatively:
“… A lot of people think of memorization like they are picking up this box of random information… We teach people to open the box, take out everything inside … and construct something creative, a piece of art that’s beautiful that they can display in their minds and remember it. That is how we teach Bible memorization, and that’s how we want you to think of Bible memorization. You have to engage with the text in a creative way and make it your own.” (Warriors of the Word Video Course, Session One: 37:00)
The online video course found at the Warriors of the Word website is designed for small groups to use together as a curriculum. There are 8 sessions with a video of Aaron and Emily House teaching a class and also speaking directly to the online viewer. The last two sessions have less content as they are a simply a guide for the review session and celebration session. The celebration session is the opportunity for the small group participants to recite to each other the passages that they’ve worked on throughout the course. The design of this course really shines in that they’ve been very careful to make it easy for small groups to use, even including parts of the video where a slide will come on to the screen with instructions to pause and turn to an accountability partner and discuss questions or engage in class activities. Although it is designed for groups to use, single persons would also be blessed by this training.
The online course also has a bonus session, something not included in the book, with a focus on effective recitation. This is of course my favorite session, as I serve in recitation ministry myself. They have some wonderful insights that I will definitely be quoting in the future.
The book of this ministry, “Warriors of the Word: The Bible Memorization Battle Guide for Winning Spiritual Victories,” is also a wonderful resource that is thorough in its content. There are 9 chapters and an impressive 56 pages of added insight, resources, and helpful lists of verses and passages to memorize. The book is a complete course on its own, and it’s not necessary to enroll in the online video course at the same time as reading the book.
The overall theme of the book is making ready for battle, and it declares itself a “bootcamp” experience. Despite this military theme, you’ll find that Aaron and Emily House are much more empathetic and compassionate drill sergeants than you would find in a true military bootcamp. Indeed, the Houses are very open and vulnerable in this book. They share with their readers many of the life-challenges they have faced and the hope they have found by clinging to the Word of God hidden in their hearts.
Truly, both the book and online course of Warriors of the Word are shining gems in the world of Scripture memory resources. However, if you’re looking to gift a Scripture memory book to someone who hasn’t expressed interest in memorizing before, this book and course may be too intense for them. The thorough discussion of practical topics could be overwhelming to the person who already believes they don’t have time or aren’t able to memorize, although those issues are addressed in the book and course. However, for any self-motivated new memorizer who is ready to sign up for a proper bootcamp, or any advanced memorizer desiring to hone their skills, these resources are an excellent choice!
The resources of Warriors of the Word are equipping believers around the world. The performances of Piercing Word are inspiring believers around the world. Together, they are the best kept secret of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The best part of this secret? That it doesn’t need to stay in Lancaster. You can find out how to invite Piercing Word to perform Scripture for your church or ministry by heading to their website: piercingword.org. You can also head to warriorsoftheword.org to find their Warriors of the Word book and online video course.
If you enjoyed this ministry and book review, you may like to read these other reviews for Scripture memory and recitation resources: book and ministry by Simon Camilleri, “Public Bible Reading;” book by Dakota Lynch from Scripture Memory Fellowship, “Remember the Words;” book by Glenna Marshall, “Memorizing Scripture;” book by Jeremy Kluth from Scripture Alive, “Power to Remember;” and my own book, “Speaking Scripture: How to Memorize and Recite with Purpose and Delight.”
~Rachel Eernisse is the leader of Scripture Speakers, a ministry which exists to glorify God and edify His Church through Scripture recitation. She recites Scripture as her own words and teaches others how to memorize and recite. She is also the author of a practical book written to equip the average lay person to effectively memorize Scripture and serve others through the ministry of recitation called “Speaking Scripture.”